In 2015 I found myself working civil construction and moving to the small town of Pilot Butte. This year was full of many things but the short of it was I was the new owner of a 1990 Volkswagen Jetta TD. With my new german steed, I was headed for the west coast of Canada and the United States. The months before my departure, I dived headfirst to learn how the car worked. Everything I could afford was addressed. From new exhaust and headlights. To bushings, struts and tires. I left with a full load including skiing equipment, a full set of tools, extra warm gear and spare fuel. This was before I learned to maintain a healthy weight budget and live more minimally. I was en route from Regina, SK to Vancouver, BC. I was off to visit family and ski through Kootenays on the way home. As I ventured further away from the queen city. I noticed my first issue with my car. I was losing heat inside the cab. I didn't really bother with this as it was intermittent and I wasn't knowledgable on how to properly diagnose this problem. So I carried on to Revelstoke, BC making the mistake of trying to be frugal. My accommodations left much to be desired but I survived and continued straight into Vancouver. I caught up with my family and enjoyed a wonderful holiday with them. When I wasn't spending time with family I was leaning over the engine of the Jetta. The main grief it was giving me was a leaking head gasket and although that should have been a red flag I pushed south into Washington State. Arrived at my Uncles home in Bellingham, WA only to find myself once again battling with gremlins. This time the alternator gave up the ghost while driving downtown. Fortunately, because of the mechanical nature of the MK2 Jetta, I was able to drive back no problem minus being able to signal and such. So after exhausting my skills and not being very social, I went about finding a garage to help sort my car out. There were actually quite a few shops that specialize in Volkswagens so I was in luck. I made some repairs, replaced the alternator and even the head gasket seemed to mend itself. After a few more days I said goodbye to my family and started my trek back into British Columbia to link up with a friend and his family to ski. Along the way, the electrical gremlins returned and this time it was a bit more serious. I was stranded on the side of a mountain pass in the dead of winter with no heat, no power and no cell service. Things were definitely to looking quite grim. I was alone. There wasn't any traffic for several hours while I attempted to make repairs in subzero temperatures. As the sun had set a truck rolled into the pullout where I was parked. At the wheel was an older couple pulling a trailer in their Dodge Ram pickup. They were experiencing their own vehicular calamity. Apparently their truck lost power while attempting the mountain incline. Was there some invisible force trapping people and their wheels in this unforgiving climate? The man reckoned it was a failed map sensor on the engine that was causing it to die. After concluding this, the man assisted me in restoring power back to my own car. With the wiring complete and our hands frozen, the Jetta's turbocharger whistled to life. I wished the couple good luck and sailed off into the night. My goal was to reach Nelson, BC. On the way, the next wave of anxiety hit when a truck driving ahead had its rear tires explode out of seemingly nowhere. I followed the truck until it stopped and asked if the driver was alright. I received a vulgar reply and kept driving. What a night so far. As Nelson was coming into view my phone started going mad with missed calls and text notifications. I pulled over to investigate and was soon on the phone with my father. Apparently, while I was stranded and out of service, my friend's family contacted the local RCMP and dispatched a tow truck to where I was last marooned which I was now on the hook for. I then got back on the road and arrived in snowy Nelson as midnight had passed.
